Leontopodium
by Lilacnightmares
Summary: She failed. It wasn't her fault that the RFA was so manipulative, and how easily they twisted her mind and frayed her opinions. But that was okay, really, and as angry as it made him feel to think that they almost stole his princess away from him right under his nose, Ray would still fix it. Ray would fix everything. His doll would never hurt again. BAD ENDING. DAY 5.


Ray always woke with a start as the sun-kissed his face from the sheer curtains that hung over the window. This was such a far cry from how things once were, why, a few months ago he had been sleeping at his desk scrunched over from exhaustion for a power nap.

Now, here he was laying in a bed, with his aching body feeling relaxed. This was something that he was so very grateful for. It was the little things that you should appreciate.

It had been another long night of doing what he had to do, but he was grateful to have another day on this Earth. Life had meaning now instead of the pointless lull that had once overwhelmed his mind and body. Where he had once felt like there was no reason to get up he found that he had something that made it worth it.

This is long what he had craved.

To feel like he had a true purpose on this planet apart from the inevitable destruction of those that had hurt him and those that he cared about the most on this Earth.

He never slept well, not once in his life did he ever have a night where he wasn't haunted by some sort of demon of his past.

The monsters always haunted him.

He would someday be rid of them but for now, he took what came as it happened. However, the past few months had been the most productive of his life. He felt useful, he felt strong, he felt needed, and most of all, he felt like he was truly loved.

Why was that?

What had changed from where he used to be and where he was now, one may wonder?

Why, he had his lovely princess at his side now, at all times.

It was all that he had dreamed of ever since he had seen her lovely face… to hold her close to him and cherish her heart and kindness.

She wasn't away from him, no, not anymore. He simply could not do that to Lila. She didn't spend hours cooped up in some room as she cried, lamenting how lonely and scared she was. She was always with him and there was hardly a time where she was far from his line of sight. It wasn't all that bad, really. She had come to depend upon him and his brand of attention and affection.

She would immediately feel so much separation anxiety if he left her behind, and if tears came to her brown eyes, he would feel so awful.

Lila was such a scared… and nervous girl, and he did not want to make her feel unwanted. He had wanted her for as long as he knew her heart and face. She had always made him feel wanted in return, and she deserved to feel his affection for all of her loyalty and compassion.

They were made for each other, all.

The universe had dictated it so. Why else would they have come to find one another if they were not?

Broken people clinging to each other and saving each other from the dreadful terror of the outside world that existed beyond the safety that existed here in Mint Eye. Ray knew that she was the one for him and that he was for the one for him, and he made sure that she understood how special she was to him. All it took was a little extra care. She had already leaned into him when he felt scared, praised him when he felt weak and smiled upon him when no one else would.

Lila was just a little lost when it came to her priorities. It wasn't her fault, no, he would never blame his darling for being so naive. That was something that he loved the most about her, after all.

She had done her best to play his virtual game but he failed to realize that she was far too delicate and gentle to ever have to contend with beasts that would claim her weak constitution; The RFA made her feel so bad that she could barely play his game, and that had really put a damper on things because she stopped doing as she was told.

Her faith had become unsteady at that time because they tried to deceive her heart.

And, how dare they do such a thing to her?

It hurt his feelings.

To even think for a moment that they had taken the one person in this world that meant so much to him… a cold, dark feeling arose in his chest whenever it came into his head. She was here because of him, she had learned about all of this because of him, she was his. She was his and nobody else's. Ray refused to even think that it was possible. No, it wasn't possible.

Because he would destroy those feelings before they even became a problem in the first place. The other him… the other voice inside of him… they both agreed when it came to that.

They couldn't allow something like that to happen.

Not after all that, not after all they had done to ensure that Lila would be safe and sound in paradise with him. He thought for a moment that that damned redhead had gotten into her heart and stole her away from him just as he stole everything else from him. It had been a mistake to believe so, he realized later as her heart only bent to his will, but he didn't regret his choice in the heat of the moment.

Because that small indecision of hers allowed him to shape Lila and guide her to her true potential.

It wasn't all her fault.

The traitor V had infiltrated Mint Eye and tried to steal her away from him and that simply put him on edge. He feared to lose Lila, and he refused to allow anyone to take her away from him.

They had just finally found and secured their happiness together, who could be so cruel as to try and rip that away from them? His princess was safest with him. So, that's where he kept her when he could. If not, she would have to stay put and sit still in her room until he returned to retrieve her again. It was a shame, really, when he had to do something like that. Her doe brown eyes flooded with tears when that happened. Just as they did when he promised he would save her from the corruption of those traitors upon her heart.

To think she had started out so confused and afraid of what he was doing for her safety… to imagine that she had once been so scared of the ropes and chains to keep her protected… to know that her pained screams back then were all but confused chatter from a poor, naive girl… to forget that she didn't know any better or what was good for her back then.

It was for her own good. He whispered.

She had to truly understand the pain he went through to finally see the light of salvation that he wanted for them. It stung and it ached the entire time, but he did what he had to do to his princess.

Oh, but those times were gone.

He had spent such a long time doing his best to correct her attitude and show her the way that she had forgotten along the way. A combination of cruelty and gentle coaxing had been enough to bend her back to his will. It was so beautiful to watch her transform into such a lovely person again.

It had taken a lot of time and a lot of effort; But, it was all worth it.

Lila was his precious doll, his perfect princess, and she could do no absolute wrong anymore. All she had to do was be with him, smile at him, hold his hand, listen to his every word, do as he asked, and be happy. It was merely the little things that she had once done already for him when she was playing his game.

Now, however, she didn't have to worry about anything except him.

She had always been more interested in him. She nearly paid no mind to the cast of the RFA, always reaching out to him, asking him what he wanted, wanting to learn as much as she could about him, always reminding him to take care of himself if he was tired or hungry. Lila had always been more concerned with him.

The RFA had just gotten in the way of that. They made her lose her focus, and she didn't deserve to be so confused and lost. No, she deserved to be admired on her stand and treated with care.

Look at her now, he marveled at her sleeping form in his arms. She was so small, so polite, so delicate, so perfect, and so breakable.

Speaking of which, now that he was awake that meant that she needed to arise from her slumber and join him. "You need to wake up, my precious one. The sun has risen over Magenta and the day has begun. I can't wait to spend another day with you at my side."

Her eyes fluttered open.

At first, her sleep-ridden eyes stared up at him in a bit of a haze, perhaps a side effect of the lingering traces of elixir that she had taken a night prior. Eventually, she settled her gaze up upon him and him alone.

"Ray," she whispers, voice so small, so insignificant, only loud enough for him to hear it. Lila sits upright although her veins must still be burning. She lives to please him. "Did you stay with me last night…?"

He cups her cheeks in his hands and smiles. He likes to see the way that she looks at him. He can see how happy she is to see that he is still at her side, "Of course, my beloved. You asked me if I could stay with you since you were such a good girl for taking all your medicine. I'm sure your elixir must have blurred your silly little head again, when don't I ever stay with you?"

Lila searches for the memory that seems just beyond her reach. It seems more and more lately that she's forgetting things that happened. It could be the elixir and it could be something else. Ray doesn't know what exactly it is but he doesn't mind that she's an airhead.

She's so cute when she's a little perplexed. Ray loves the way that she looks to him for all of the questions that she could ever want to ask. He feels needed, useful, like he's finally doing what he was truly meant o be doing.

"...Oh. I guess I forgot," she murmured.

Her brown eyes are filled with concern, confusion, fear, sadness. She may start to cry, actually; This is often the look that crosses her face before she longs and weeps.

He isn't too surprised when her voice cracks and she looks pained, "Why… why can't I remember? I should know that… Why don't I know that…? W-What good am I if I can't remember your kindness to me, Ray…? You do so much for me… am I just leaching off your kindness…?"

The poor, poor, thing.

Ray hated to see her in pain.

He was quick to squash her tears away. It wasn't fitting of her at the moment. As she was bathed in the morning glow, she was nothing but ethereal. He pressed his lips to the corner of her eyes and quietly shushed her small cries with his voice again. " Don't you dare cry about such silly nonsense, my love. I don't care if you can remember every little thing. That's what I'm for. You can always depend on me to protect you… You're my princess, my doll. You don't have to know anything besides how much I care for you."

Lila's confusion eventually subsided, and she slowly recognized what he was saying to her after it sank in. She nodded her head, blinking away the tears that had arisen. It always took her a moment to figure things out, but no matter, patience wasn't an issue when it came to what he wanted.

Her nerves seemingly settled.

"Yeah… you're right… you're always right, Ray."

He chuckled at the look on her face. "You don't know how happy it makes me feel to hear you say those words. It almost makes me never want to see you cry again. But I'm even happier to see that you need me and that you trust me enough to be that special person for you. If only I could break you down and build you back up again over and over just to see you smile, princess."

Ray didn't bother to wait for her to say anything else. She didn't need to say anything more to him now. He simply rose to his legs and beckoned her to follow behind him.

She did as she was told, as always, and stopped in her tracks in front of the mirror with her back facing it, to sit in a chair. He would then take the time to brush out her long locks one by one until it was smoothed out. It was so very calming, and she was such a good girl for him.

Never once did she complain.

She just sat still, as a good toy does, and allowed him to do as he pleased. She wasn't allowed to look at herself until he was pleased with what he had done.

He knew best what she liked, and what suited her, why should she bother to make those choices for herself? He was already ensuring everything other little detail of her life. It was just easier for him to take this as well, and she really didn't seem to mind.

He pilfered through the closet until he found something that suited his liking for the day, and handed it off to her. She glanced down at it once and then promptly went to change. She always needed just the smallest help to ensure everything was tied properly, but apart from that, she knew just how to look cute.

He had chosen his tester very carefully, and very specifically.

Ray had really wanted a girl that was happy with being dressed up, that wouldn't mind how many layers and ribbons he wanted her to wear, and most of all someone who loved the feeling of being desired from afar. For him, that person had been Lila. She was always impressing him with how easy it was for her to achieve maximum cuteness.

Although, while her personal taste may have aligned with what he liked, he always wanted to put the envelope even further. It was too easy for her to get around when she was toned down. That's why when he had his say of things, he made sure that his princess was decorated to the nines.

Why should she bother to dress in a way that would allow her to wander around and do things? What business did his Lila have with that? She shouldn't have to sully her hands with any work whatsoever. She wasn't some peasant, no!

She was his princess, his doll, his beloved. All that she had to do was be admired by him from her pedestal.

Once she was dressed, she smiled up at him with that familiar warm smile. It was the one piece of her that hadn't been lost to time. She always looked at him with this relieved, thankful expression in her eyes that he cherished. He had once believed that he wasn't worthy of such a look, of such feelings that were warm and sincere, but now…

Now, he knew.

Ray knew that this was the feeling that he so rightly deserved. He should have listened to her kind words sooner, as they could have been living like this for far longer than they have. All those wasted days… ah, the past was the past, all he wanted to focus on now was the future that they were going to have together in paradise.

"How is it?" she asked, voice uncertain.

If he didn't like something, they would rip it off and start from the top all over again.

Rather than say something like that this time, he merely smiled in approval. "Oh, my darling, you couldn't get much more lovely than this. To think that you're all mine… only for me ... oh, my heart might swell out of my chest today. You're my perfect doll, princess. Go ahead, take a look."

He rested his hands against her shoulders and allowed her to spin around and catch a look of herself in the mirror.

Lila stilled in his arms and reluctantly tore her gaze away from him to look into the mirror. She would see herself first, admiring his handiwork and how much thought he put into making her look so pretty, then she would notice him, and her attention would be on him once again.

There would be rare moments where her gazes would linger on herself, though.

As if she was searching for something in her eyes that she just couldn't find in the mirror. Something lost and far from her mind. Was it the past that mattered not anymore? Was it things that she should have stopped caring about when he promised he would save her? Was it something else entirely?

Ray wasn't sure what it was but it was often squashed just by coaxing her attention back onto him.

Her eyes may have appeared tired, but she never showed it. She just kept staring at the reflection of themselves in the mirror as the moment passed. "Thank you, Ray," she said. "I don't know what I would do if it wasn't for you… I can't remember ever feeling anything but as good as you make me feel now."

"I know, I know ," he cooed. So much of her talk was like that. Where she praised him, thanked him, clung to him to hear what she was supposed to do, to know, to breathe, to live.

Ray craved to hear those words. Every part of his body responded to hearing it.

He had never felt so alive.

Who knew that all it would have taken was having such an obedient little doll in his life?

Ray was never going to let her leave him. He couldn't bear to be without his sweet for a moment.

He pressed his hand to her cheek and pointed her straight ahead. He wanted to make sure that she could only see the two of them. Absolutely sure that all she knew was him. Guarantee that she remembered how much he loved her and how much she loved him in return.

That was how it had always been.

That was how it was always going to be.

"That's all I want for you in this life. I want you to know how cherished and special you really and truly are. The cruel world has tried to break you, time and time again, but here in paradise that won't ever happen again. You don't have to concern yourself with any more worries for the rest of your days. Just be my little doll, my beloved."

Lila cocked her head to the side as she listened to his every word and ate it up. She knew that he was right, and she had since learned that whatever she thought in the past had just been… mistakes.

Why should she care about her troubles? Why should she worry about others? Why should she bother to do anything anymore? It was meaningless. Life was meaningless. Except for when she was with Ray. That was the only time that she felt like she had a purpose.

Although the sinking feeling in her stomach betrayed what she was thinking, she smiled and never showed any fear on her face. No, no… why would she be scared? The only thing that she had to do was listen to Ray and listen to every word that Ray said she did.

His voice continued to full her ears. "All you have to do is let me admire you… let me cherish you… just sit there and be a perfect little plaything on my shelf. You're so very soft, so delicate, so porcelain, so breakable . If you tried to do anything for yourself, you would be broken, smashed… thrown away. Isn't that all you've ever experienced before now? People treating you so cruelly and then throwing you away the minute you stop being what they want?"

Ray delighted in the way she hung on his every word. How she started truly believe in what he was saying, and how perfect it was that she needed him to be able to breathe. She really did believe that she would be nowhere if it wasn't for him, and how scary that thought was…

How it was so much better to be his possession than thrown away.

Her eyes widened. Her fingers trembled at her side. She truly feared what would happen if that occurred. How lucky was she that someone like Ray had seen her worth and saved her before it was too late? It was scary to hear those words but she had to hear them.

She had to be reminded of her place.

Ray continued, "Don't worry your pretty little head. I cherish you. I adore you. I admire you. I won't allow anything bad to happen to my doll… no, no, not unless she really needs to remember how fortunate she is to be mine. It wouldn't hurt… you know I would never intentionally hurt you because you're so very special to me, and you're all mine."

Lila's breath was shallow. The sound was so soft and so quiet that one may not have even believed that she was alive and breathing. Good. Good . She was so much more and more like a real doll with each and every passing day.

"Yes," she agreed, softly.

"Yes, what?" Ray echoed her words as he waited for her answer.

Her eyes fluttered closed. She continued to speak, however, and the words filled with him sheer glee. "Everything I am belongs to you… my arms, my legs, my eyes, my head, my heart, my mind, my body, my love… all of it. It's always been yours, Ray. You know what's best for me, and I am happy to do everything you want me to do. I know nothing but your love. I'm yours… I'm yours… I'm yours… As long as I am yours, then I will know nothing but happiness. I am happy to be your toy… your doll… you fill my life with purpose."

Ray couldn't have been happier than he was at that moment. He walked around her body so that he may face her instead of lingering where she had to struggle to see him. She had earned it, she had earned his affection for the morning by adoring him.

Hoisting her back onto her feet, he gripped her chin in his hand and stole a kiss from her lips. By the time that he pulled away, she was staring at him with nothing but adoration in her eyes.

"You will always be mine," he promised, and he intended to keep his word no matter who tried to stop him.


End file.
